Water Damage Claims & Insurance

The Wall Street Journal frequently appears fascinated by some of the goings on in Florida. The publication has often written about anomalies that seem unique (or some other not-so-favorable adjective) to the Sunshine State. We have “issues” here that just don’t seem to occur in many other places. Living here, in the midst of it all, can cause a loss of perspective. So, without any editorializing in this space, you might find this editorial on the demise of a bill to stop insurance claim abuse interesting reading. Click the link and read it through.

The challenges with assignment of benefits and water damage claims has been documented on this blog several times. Insurers have been calling attention to this problem for at least three years. The reality of allowing the abuse to continue became ever more apparent last week when Citizens Property Insurance announced its first net loss since 2005 ? of $27.1 million. Assignment of benefits is the clear cause. The clear solution now that there won’t be a legislative fix? Higher insurance premiums for Citizens’ customers, particularly in South Florida. That’s where assignment of benefits became a “unique” practice, allowing lawyers and contractors to take over a homeowner’s insurance claim and inflate the costs.